A celebration of Indianness

THEY say food can trigger memories and take you back to the places closest to your heart, and sometimes, places you have never even visited. Devouring a sheer khurma-flavoured ice cream that I bought online to mark the month of Ramzan, I was transported back to my first and only Iftar, from my days as an MBA student in Mumbai.

Despite having stayed in Hyderabad for three years, I could never make it to an Iftar party owing to long commutes and professional commitments, though I did indulge in the freely available haleem that is characteristic of Hyderabad during Ramzan. Some local friends invited us for homemade biryani with mirchi ka salan, while others introduced us to the mushkhwab thali — a gigantic platter from which four persons can share roomali roti, tandoori chicken, biryani and an assortment of kebabs. But I missed being part of an Iftar, and Eid. I generally used the holiday to return home to Chandigarh. When I returned to office, my mailbox would be flooded with ‘sheer khurma at my desk’ messages; I would happily visit every person and relish cupfuls of the most delicious sewaiyan.

So, when I finally got to attend my first Iftar, I was very excited. There was a lavish arrangement to accommodate hundreds of people. What followed was a celebration of culture; everyone came together to break bread in the true spirit of India that our freedom fighters had envisioned. We were treated to a vibrant variety of delectable food — dates, bananas, mangoes, watermelons, pakoras and sheer khurma. The generous repast had an unadulterated flavour of pure love and care.

I celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi in my business school, complete with a pagdi, devouring scrumptious modaks; tasted a heavenly Malabari meal on Onam on a large banana leaf, dressed up in an elegant white mundu; and welcomed Eid along with hundreds of people. We even celebrated Lohri, though instead of the cold weather of North India, we had Mumbai’s humidity for a change. Everyone pitched in to deliver cultural performances and prepare meals for the entire institute, while happily donning the symbolic attire suitable for that festival.

Festivals have an important place in our culture; they have the power to bring people together. If we observe all festivals with the same fervour and pomp, liberally share food and value our cultural and religious differences, India would become a more tolerant place.